sheets-sheet



R. T. KYLE.

KILN.

APPLICATION FILED IIIAIIv I0, 1921.

Patented Aug. .22, 1922.

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KILN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. IO, 1921. 1,426,655, Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

. 4 EEEEEEEEEEEE 4. 1:1 E T I I I I @Rhin/Leo `UNITED STATES ROBERT T. KYLE, OF HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

KILN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

Application filed March 10, 1921. Serial N0. 451,080.

T0 all whom t may concern."

Be it known that I, Renner T. KYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntington, in the county of Cabell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Kilns; and I do declare the following to be a iull, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. f

My invention relates toy kilns of the type in which the bricks or other ware are continously conveyed through a tunnelprovided with a plurality of furnaces. Numerous kilns of this general character have been heretofore devised, but all of them have proven unsatisfactory in view of the tact that they will not drive the heat entirely through the stacks of vbrick or the like on the cars, with the result that the outside brick is over-burned while that at the inner portion orn the stack is not burned to the required extent. The principal object oit my invention is to provide an improved `torni of kiln which is so constructed that the hot air must necessarily pass diagonally across the tunnel and hence travel through the stacks of ware, in orderto reach the stack or other hot-air outlet which may be provided.

A further object is to locate the stack or other hot-air outlet between the ends et the series ot furnaces and at the side of the tunnel opposite saidy furnaces, thereby itoicy ing the heat to travel .diagonally with the ware throughout the first stage of burning and to then travel against the ware during the finishing stage of the burning process. By this arrangement, the bricks are more uniformly baked and the so-callcd water-- smoke Jroin the brickis forced to pass out through the stack or the like before the ware reaches thehottest part of the kiln and the heat from the cooling ware will iiow back to the stack through the ware burning in the hottest part of the kiln. This eliminates any possibility of the brick scumining,

or white-washingwhile being burned.

Yet anotherl object is to provide or'gradually raising the temperature of the bricks or the like from the'tinie they enter the tunnel until the first furnace is reached, whereby their temperature will not be suddenly changed with any danger ci: injury.

lVith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novell construction, combination and arrangement ot parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed, the descriptive inatter being supplemented by the accompanyino' drawings. y

tigures l and ld illustrate a horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, ot a twin tunnel kiln constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figures 2 and 2a illustrate a longitudinal sectional view as indicated by line 2v2 of Fig. 1 and 2a a of Fig. la.

Figures 3, 4f' and 5 are vertical transverse sectional views asindicated by the lines 3-5, fk-l and 5-5 (see Figs. 1 and la).

Figure Gis a duplicate of Fig. 5 withftliel exception that it shows an underground out* let for thehot-air instead of a stack such as that shown in the other views.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numerals l designate a pair et parallel tunnels having tracksQ igor a plurality ot cars 3 upon which the bricks or other ware to be fired, are conveyed from one end of the tunnels to the other.

One vertical side of each of the tunnels l is provided with a series ot spaced turnaces t which communicate'with said tunnels near theirlower portions, by means oi passages 5. The other vertical side however oi each tunnel is provided with a heat outlet 6 and in order to pass from the turnaces l to this outlet, the heat must travel entirely across the tunnels and consequently through the stacks oi brick or the like on the cars, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. l and la. In most ligures of the drawings, l have shown the outlets 6. discharging into a stack 7 which may well have a suitable damper 8 as disclosed in Fig. 5. It the heat discharged from the kiln is to be used to op-v erate a drier for initially drying the ware beiore burning the same, an arch 7 may be substituted for the stack 7 and an underground passage 7b. controlled by a suitable damper 8 .may lead from the arch as dis-- closed in Fig; 6. In either case, the operation ot the kiln and the paths on which the heat travelsirom the furnaces, is the same.

Attention is directed to the iact'that the lheat outlet 6 ci' each tunnel is located between the ends of the series of furnaces l. By this arrangement, when the cars ot brick or the like are ted slowly through the tunnels in the direction indicated by the arrows A in Figs. l and l, the heat from the irst half of the series of lues will travel with the ware as indicated in` Fig. 1, while the heat from the remaining furnaces will travel against theware. This not only dries the bricks or the like more effectively than when the currents ofy air move always in the same direction, but allzdampness is carried from both ends of the tunnel to the stack or other outlet, which is of great importance, particularlyin view of thev fact that the outlet end of the tunnel which is vat maximum heat, is absolutely free of watensmoke so that there is no danger' of scumming7 the ware or otherwise producing an inferior product.v The 'water-smoke7 comes from the incoming. ware and leaves at the stack or the like. If desired', the outlet end of eac-h tunnel may be provided with a door as indicated by the dotted lines 9 in Fig. 2. By raising this door to the required extent, sufiicient air may be allowed to enter the tunnel to form a strong draft toward the stack Vor the like,` so that all dampness is removed.

By reference more particularly toF ig. 1, it will be seen that the series offurnaces 4, start a considerable distance from the inlet end of each tunnel 1. This is done in order that provision may be `made for `gradually raising the temperature of the ware from the timefit enters until the heat of the `first furnaces is encountered, thus insuring that its temperature shall not be abruptly changed,

which would have atendency to injure the product. While any suitable means could be employed for increasingthe temperature lof the bricks or the like .in the manner set forth, I prefer to employ the construction shown most clearly. in. Figs. 1a and 2a. A khotwairdischarge pipeior' other passage 10 leads from the stack or the arch 7'Vt as the case may be, and is provided with a plurality of spaced lateral branches 11 which discharge into the tunnels lat different points along the length thereof. These branches increase in size from the inlet ends of the tunnels toward lthe'flrst furnaces 4 as clearly shown 'in Fig. 1a and an'appropriate fan 12 is in corporated in the pipe 10 so as to draw hot `airfrom the stack or the like and force it through the branches 11 intofthe tunnels. Due to the varying sizes of these branches, the amount of hot-air supplied tothe inlet portions of the tunnels will increase gradually toward the furnaces 4, with the resultA Y.provided first ywith a layer 14 of heat insulating material, a layer of brick 15 is placed on this insulating'material, and a slab 16 of fire clay or the like is supported on the bricks, with its edges projecting beyond the sides ofthe car and received in longitudinal grooves 17 with which the innernopposed sides of the tunnels are provided below the passages 5 and G. With this arrangement,

there is no possibility of any great amount of heat escaping 'under the cars and thus traveling to the outlet 7 `or 7 without first performing work.

It is desirable to have the portions ofthe tunnels, below the platforms ofthe cars 3, at

a relatively low temperature and to obtain this result, I provide Water circulating seen that I have produced `a kiln which will )ossess the ad-vantafres of a continuous feed l e through a tunnel,yet one which will not be" subject to the disadvantages heretofore eX- isting, namely overburning 'of theoutside brick an d in'suflicient firing ofthe remainder, abrupt changing in temperaturey of the'ware as it encounters the heat from the furnaces, and the )revalence of watensmoke The improved results are obtainable in an 'expe` ditious manner by employing the general construction and arrangement set forth and 'i I therefore prefer this construction, but it is to be understood that within the scope 0f the invention asclaimed, `it may be embodied in numerous forms other vthan 'thatshown Furthermore, while I have illustrated a twin tunnel kiln, it will be understood that myv improvements `are equally adaptable to kilns having a single tunnel or any number` of tunnels, the operation in all cases being the same.

I claim:` s H 1. A. kiln comprising a tunnel, a series of heat inlets opening intosaid tunnel at horizent-ally spaced ypoints along one vertical side thereof only, and a single heatoutletV `from said tunnel, said outlet being located 1 at the yopposite side of the tunnel from said heat inlets and being `longitudinally spaced from all of saidheat inlets and yin substantially the same horizontal plane therewith, whereby to force the heat from said inlets to travel diagonall across the tunnel and throughthe ware efore escaping through said outlet. l

2. A kiln comprising a ktunnel through which the ware is conveyed, a series of furnaces at one vertical side lof said tunnel iso communicating with the latter at longitudinally spaced points, and a heat outlet from the opposite side of said tunnel, and located between the ends of said series of furnaces whereby to force the heat to travel diagonally in opposite directions across the tunnel and through the ware.

3. A kiln comprising ak tunnel through which the ware is conveyed, a plurality of furnaces along one side of said tunnel, and hot air supply means between the inlet end of said tunnel and the first furnace for gradually raising the temperature of the ware preparatory to encountering the direct heat from the furnaces; together with a hot air outlet from the side of the tunnel opposite said one side thereof and diagonally opposed to said furnaces to force the heat from said furnaces to travel diagonallyacross the kiln and through the ware.

4. A kiln comprising a tunnel through which the ware is conveyed, a plurality of furnaces spaced along one side of said tunnel, and hot air supply passages spaced along said tunnel between the inlet end thereof and the first furnace, said passages increasing in size toward the first furnace to gradually raise the temperature of the ware preparatory to encountering the direct heat from the furnaces; together with a hot air outlet from the side of the tunnel opposite said one side thereof and diagonally opposed to the furnaces to force the heat from said furnaces to travel diagonally across the kiln and through the ware.

5. A kiln comprising a tunnel through which the ware is conveyed7 a series of furnaces spaced along one side of said tunnel, said series of furnaces being spaced from the inlet end of said tunnel, a hot air outlet from the other side of the tunnel, a passage leading from said hot air outlet toward the inlet end of the tunnel and having branches discharging through said other side of the tunnel at longitudinally spaced points between said inlet `end of the tunnel and the first furnace, and means for forcing travel of hot air from said outlet through said passage and branches to initially heat the ware preparatory to encountering the direct heat from the furnaces.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, said branches increasing in size toward the furnaces forthe purpose specified.

7. A kiln comprising a tunnel through which the ware is conveyed, a plurality of furnaces along one side of said tunnel, and hot air supply means between the inlet end of said tunnel and the first furnace for gradually raising the temperature of the ware preparatory to encountering the direct heat from the furnaces.

8. A kiln comprising a tunnel through which the ware is conveyed, a plurality of furnaces spaced along one side of said tunnel, and hot air supply passages spaced along said tunnel between the inlet end thereof and the first furnace, said passages increasing in size toward the first' furnace to gradually raise the temperature of the ware preparatory to encountering the direct heat from the furnaces.

9. A kiln comprising a tunnel through which the ware is conveyed, said tunnel having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other, and means for setting up hot air currents in said tunnel from both ends thereof toward approximately its center, whereby the hot air travels with the ware for a part of the tunnels length and against said ware throughout the other portion of the tunnels length.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT T. KYLE.

Witnesses:

WM. MARTIN, A. E. SALMON. 

